Date Bars

My mother makes these everytime we have family together. They are so scrumptous and disappear quickly. Get one before they are gone!

1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. soda
2 Tbsp. water
8 oz. dates, chopped
3 cups flour, sifted
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
¼ tsp. cloves
1 ½ tsp. salt
Sugar

Cream butter and sugar together; add eggs one at a time. Stir in baking soda and water. Add dates and dry ingredients. Mix gradually. Using a small amount of flour, roll dough into a large jelly-roll pan; sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 350°F for 15-18 min. Watch bars closely as they near end of cooking time. Undercooking will result in bars that fall apart. Overcooking results in hard and dry bars. Cool. Cut into parallelogram bars.

Yield: about 20 bars